Oferta e Demanda por Exportações de Automóveis (1992-2006)

O presente artigo estima equações de oferta e demanda por exportações de automóveis brasileiros, entre 1992Q1 e 2006Q4, usando o mecanismo de correção de erro com parâmetros fixos e variáveis no formato espaço-estado. Pelos resultados das elasticidades de curto e longo prazo, pode-se inferir que existe uma baixa propensão do País a expor-tar automóveis e pouca importância do preço sobre a oferta. A elasticidade preço-demanda indica que o Brasil pode ser considerado um País pequeno no mercado internacional de automóveis. Além disso, há evidências de efeito cíclico nos deslocamentos da curva, fato esse que pode estar ligado aos frequentes lançamentos de produtos. Por fim, o automóvel brasileiro pode ser considerado um bem normal para o consumidor estrangeiro. A velocidade de ajuste da oferta e da demanda a choques é pequena, sinalizando rigidez nesse setor. Ou seja, tanto a resposta da oferta a mudanças nas variáveis, quanto o comportamento do consumidor no cenário externo, são lentos.Cointegração, Modelo de Correção de Erros, Filtro de Kalman

Mycoplasma genitalium among Young, Urban Pregnant Women

Objective. As the consequences of Mycoplasma genitalium in pregnant women are unknown, we examined the relationship between prenatal M. genitalium infection and SAB. Methods. The presence of M. genitalium was determined by PCR in urine from 82 women who subsequently experienced a SAB and 134 women who maintained their pregnancies past 22 weeks gestation. The relationships between M. genitalium and subsequent SAB, demographic, current pregnancy, and reproductive health history characteristics were evaluated. Results. Compared to women without M. genitalium, women with M. genitalium were more likely to report nulliparity (41.7% versus 17.4%, P = .04), history of pelvic inflammatory disease (27.3% versus 8.8%, P = .08), prior C. trachomatis infection (63.6% versus 36.9%, P = .11,) and problems getting pregnant (18.2% versus 4.4%, P = .10). M. genitalium was not associated with SAB (AOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.2–3.8). Conclusions. Pregnant women who test positive for M. genitalium do not have an increased risk of SAB but report a history of reproductive morbidities

Mycoplasma genitalium among young, urban pregnant women. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol. Epub ahead of print 31

Objective. As the consequences of Mycoplasma genitalium in pregnant women are unknown, we examined the relationship between prenatal M. genitalium infection and SAB. Methods. The presence of M. genitalium was determined by PCR in urine from 82 women who subsequently experienced a SAB and 134 women who maintained their pregnancies past 22 weeks gestation. The relationships between M. genitalium and subsequent SAB, demographic, current pregnancy, and reproductive health history characteristics were evaluated. Results. Compared to women without M. genitalium, women with M. genitalium were more likely to report nulliparity (41.7% versus 17.4%, P = .04), history of pelvic inflammatory disease (27.3% versus 8.8%, P = .08), prior C. trachomatis infection (63.6% versus 36.9%, P = .11,) and problems getting pregnant (18.2% versus 4.4%, P = .10). M. genitalium was not associated with SAB (AOR 0.9, 95% CI 0.2-3.8). Conclusions. Pregnant women who test positive for M. genitalium do not have an increased risk of SAB but report a history of reproductive morbidities

Handedness and the X chromosome: The role of androgen receptor CAG-repeat length

Prenatal androgen exposure has been suggested to be one of the factors influencing handedness, making the androgen receptor gene (AR) a likely candidate gene for individual differences in handedness. Here, we examined the relationship between the length of the CAG-repeat in AR and different handedness phenotypes in a sample of healthy adults of both sexes (n = 1057). Since AR is located on the X chromosome, statistical analyses in women heterozygous for CAG-repeat lengths are complicated by X chromosome inactivation. We thus analyzed a sample of women that were homozygous for the CAG-repeat length (n = 77). Mixed-handedness in men was significantly associated with longer CAG-repeat blocks and women homozygous for longer CAG-repeats showed a tendency for stronger left-handedness. These results suggest that handedness in both sexes is associated with the AR CAG-repeat length, with longer repeats being related to a higher incidence of non-right-handedness. Since longer CAG-repeat blocks have been linked to less efficient AR function, these results implicate that differences in AR signaling in the developing brain might be one of the factors that determine individual differences in brain lateralization

The effectiveness of psychosocial intervention for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate

© Copyright 2015 American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. Objective: The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of different psychological interventions for children and adults with cleft lip and/or palate and their parents. Design: We searched six databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE to June 2013 and checked bibliographies. We included research that evaluated any psychological intervention in studies in which at least 90% of the participants had cleft lip and/or palate or were parents of those with cleft lip and/or palate. Studies containing less than 90% were excluded unless they reported results separately for those with cleft lip and/or palate, or raw data were available upon request from the authors. Inclusion assessment, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers. Results: Seven studies were identified as inclusions, with only two studies being included in the full data analysis (one of which failed to meet the full inclusion criteria). The five remaining studies were included only in a narrative synthesis because data were available for people or parents of those with cleft lip and/or palate only. This highlights a distinct dearth of research into psychological intervention within the field of cleft lip and/or palate. Conclusions: The review found no evidence to support any specific intervention. Key uncertainties need to be identified and addressed. Adequately powered, methodologically rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed to provide a secure evidence base for psychological intervention techniques in participants with cleft lip and/or palate and their parents